Committing to Catholic Education 3zy3bj2niipzp813u1qz16e55-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp... · 2019....
2
3 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK | Catholic Schools Week / TheHerald-News.com • Thursday, January 28, 2016 Kris Stadalsky Shaw Media Correspondent The decision to send children to Catholic school can be a com- plicated one. It’s not only an ed- ucational choice, but it involves economic, social and spiritual considerations as well. If you have five children at- tending Catholic schools like the Buss family of Plainfield, it be- comes a major commitment. Jennifer and Bryan Buss are both educators. She a profes - sor in the College of Education department at Lewis University who just completed her doctor- ate; he a gifted educator at In- dian Prairie School in Naperville School District 204. Bryan attended Joliet Catholic High School when it was the all- boys school. It was the feeling of belonging to something larger, a feeling of family, he hoped he could pass on to his own chil- dren by sending them to Joliet Catholic Academy. “I desperately wanted to have my kids have that camaraderie,” he said. “I was very proud of be- ing there, I loved being there.” It’s not just a given that the Peyton and Madeline Buss, freshman twins at JCA, or that the three younger Buss children, all attending St. Mary Immacu- late in Plainfield, will automati- cally attend private school each year, said Jennifer. “Every year we evaluate it,” she said. “We have to make sure the money we are spending is for what (the children) need and what they want.” So far, JCA has been every- thing they hoped for, said Jenni- fer, from the seamless transition from grade to high school, to the faculty’s commitment to the stu- dents, to the school’s ability to provide what each student needs in each area of education. Peyton and Madeline had no doubt their high school choice was JCA. They wanted to stay in the smaller setting they had at St. Mary’s and go on to high school with most of their friends. “It would have been a tough transition from Catholic school to public high school,” Madeline said. “It’s been a great experience to be able to grow as a person and in my faith.” Jennifer tells a story that epito- mizes the atmosphere of caring at JCA and still brings tears to her eyes. Peyton struggled to keep up with her teammates the first week of cross country. When Jennifer came to pick her daugh- ter up from practice, Peyton had not yet completed the run. Jennifer worried Peyton would be ridiculed by the older students. But as she rounded the last turn she was surrounded by her teammates running along- side and cheering her on. “The seniors stood on the side for every freshman,” Jennifer said. “It took my breath away.” Going from public grade school in Rockdale to Provi- dence Catholic High School was a harder sell for the three oldest Pierce children. Freshman Hailey, Junior Robby and Senior Brandon each wanted to go to public school with their friends from grade school. Robby didn’t like the idea of a dress code, either. Dad Jeremy Pierce, who at- tended Ridgewood Baptist school as a child, liked that the curriculum at Providence was over and above state standards. “Where the kids came from (public school) they were in the low 25 percent of their class. But they have all excelled at Provi- dence,” said Jeremy. “By the end of freshman year, they are up in the 80 to 85 percent of their class.” It’s not unusual for teachers to come in early or stay late to help a student, even if they don’t have the student in a class, he said. Melissa was happy to see that several of the teachers she had at Providence were still on the fac- ulty and they easily remembered her. All three high school students settled in, got involved in mul- tiple activities and feel at home in their setting. The teens and their parents went on a mission trip to Haiti with Minooka Bible Church Committing to Catholic Education Photo credit: Kris Stadalsky Peyton and Madeline Buss get homework help from parents Bryan and Jennifer Buss. Photo credit: Kris Stadalsky Allie and Patrick Pierce (front) are eager to attend Providence. Back row, from left, are Melissa, Brandon, Hailey, Robby and Jeremy Pierce. See COMMITING, page 4
Transcript of Committing to Catholic Education 3zy3bj2niipzp813u1qz16e55-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp... · 2019....
3CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK | Catholic Schools W
eek / TheHerald-News.com
• Thursday, January 28, 2016
Kris StadalskyShaw Media Correspondent
The decision to send children to Catholic school can be a com-plicated one. It’s not only an ed-ucational choice, but it involves economic, social and spiritual considerations as well.
If you have five children at-tending Catholic schools like the Buss family of Plainfield, it be-comes a major commitment.
Jennifer and Bryan Buss are both educators. She a profes-sor in the College of Education department at Lewis University who just completed her doctor-ate; he a gifted educator at In-dian Prairie School in Naperville School District 204.
Bryan attended Joliet Catholic High School when it was the all-boys school. It was the feeling of belonging to something larger, a feeling of family, he hoped he could pass on to his own chil-dren by sending them to Joliet Catholic Academy.
“I desperately wanted to have my kids have that camaraderie,”
he said. “I was very proud of be-ing there, I loved being there.”
It’s not just a given that the Peyton and Madeline Buss, freshman twins at JCA, or that the three younger Buss children, all attending St. Mary Immacu-late in Plainfield, will automati-cally attend private school each year, said Jennifer.
“Every year we evaluate it,” she said. “We have to make sure the money we are spending is for what (the children) need and what they want.”
So far, JCA has been every-thing they hoped for, said Jenni-fer, from the seamless transition from grade to high school, to the faculty’s commitment to the stu-dents, to the school’s ability to provide what each student needs in each area of education.
Peyton and Madeline had no doubt their high school choice was JCA. They wanted to stay in the smaller setting they had at St. Mary’s and go on to high school with most of their friends.
“It would have been a tough
transition from Catholic school to public high school,” Madeline said. “It’s been a great experience to be able to grow as a person and in my faith.”
Jennifer tells a story that epito-mizes the atmosphere of caring at JCA and still brings tears to her eyes.
Peyton struggled to keep up with her teammates the first week of cross country. When Jennifer came to pick her daugh-ter up from practice, Peyton had not yet completed the run.
Jennifer worried Peyton would be ridiculed by the older students. But as she rounded the last turn she was surrounded by her teammates running along-side and cheering her on.
“The seniors stood on the side for every freshman,” Jennifer said. “It took my breath away.”
Going from public grade school in Rockdale to Provi-dence Catholic High School was a harder sell for the three oldest Pierce children.
Freshman Hailey, Junior Robby and Senior Brandon each wanted to go to public school with their friends from grade school. Robby didn’t like the idea of a dress code, either.
Dad Jeremy Pierce, who at-tended Ridgewood Baptist school as a child, liked that the curriculum at Providence was over and above state standards.
“Where the kids came from (public school) they were in the low 25 percent of their class. But they have all excelled at Provi-dence,” said Jeremy. “By the end of freshman year, they are up in the 80 to 85 percent of their class.”
It’s not unusual for teachers to come in early or stay late to help a student, even if they don’t have the student in a class, he said.
Melissa was happy to see that several of the teachers she had at Providence were still on the fac-ulty and they easily remembered her.
All three high school students settled in, got involved in mul-tiple activities and feel at home in their setting.
The teens and their parents went on a mission trip to Haiti with Minooka Bible Church
Committing to Catholic Education
Photo credit: Kris Stadalsky
Peyton and Madeline Buss get homework help from parents Bryan and Jennifer Buss.
Photo credit: Kris Stadalsky
Allie and Patrick Pierce (front) are eager to attend Providence. Back row, from left, are Melissa, Brandon, Hailey, Robby and Jeremy Pierce.
See COMMITING, page 4
4 Ca
thol
ic S
choo
ls W
eek
/ Th
eHer
ald-
New
s.co
m
•
Thu
rsda
y, Ja
nuar
y 28
, 201
6 | C
ATHO
LIC SC
HOOL
S WEE
K
adno=0345688
IImm IImmmmmmaaccuulluulaa
tteeCCoonncceepppttiittioonn SScchhooooll
MMoorrrriiss 111888999000 IIlllliiinnnooiiss
II
Immaculate Conception School has been a dedicated leader in local CatholicEducation since 1890. We provide a challenging educational program, teachingCatholic values and a sense of community in a safe, caring atmosphere withpassionate and highly qualified teachers. We challenge our students to developacademically, physically, socially and spiritually.
Please consider a visit to ICS, so we may share with you why families of allfaiths have entrusted their children to us for over one hundred years.
Immaculate Conception SchoolPre-K thru 8th grade
505 East North Street, Morris Illinois • 815.942.4111
over winter break to help build a home and take necessities.
They like to bring something fun for the Haitian children, this year it was sports equipment.
Providence faculty and fami-lies not only donated bags of equipment, the school supported the kids when they had to take extra time off school right before winter finals due to a flight de-lay.
“The school knows education is important, but so is this life experience,” Jeremy said.
The two younger Pierce chil-dren, Patrick, 11, and Allie, 10, are both looking forward to the day they can attend Providence. One big reason is to meet Coach Frank Cavallone, science teacher and hockey coach.
Everyone else in the family knows him, including Melissa who had him when she attended the school. Cavallone not only commands respect but makes education fun, they all said. They love to share their stories about him.
That’s something the younger Pierce children look forward to being part of.
• COMMITINGcontinued from page 3
Photo credit: Kris Stadalsky
Brandon, Hailey and Robby Pierce have eased into Providence Catholic High School.
Photo credit: Kris Stadalsky
All five Buss children attend catholic schools. From left, Bryan, Madeline, Peyton, Preston, Jennifer and Grace. Not shown is Nora Buss.
Committing to Catholic Education
